Camping Trip, Saturday, June 12

Up at 7 a.m. After breakfast, Hubbie and I walked across the road to visit a neighboring camper. This lady and her cat slept in a tiny tent, and she was gone all day, leaving the cat behind. In all the hours she was gone, that cat never strayed farther than a few yards from the tent. We couldn't believe it. We'd never seen a cat behave that way. Certainly, if we ever let Mother's cat out of the trailer, we'd likely never see her again.

So we just had to learn how she had trained the cat to stay around the campsite. She told us she and the cat came into each other's lives at a time when they most needed each other. The lady had lost her home and everything in it to a fire. She found the cat in a cage, sick and nearly eaten alive by fleas. She nursed it back to health, and I guess it so bonded with her that it sticks close to her when she's around, or patiently waits for her when she's gone.

The lady set up a small window air condition to blow into the tent, so the cat could shelter comfortably there while she was gone. But it was the most amazing thing to see how that cat stayed so close to the tent when it was outside. The lady declared that it's God's work that she and the cat found each other. We couldn't argue.

Since the lady has no home, she travels from relative to friend, staying a few days and helping them with whatever they need. She's very religious, so she felt compelled to share her beliefs with us. We listened politely, because we sensed that this is a very lonely woman, despite the comfort of that amazing cat.

For lunch, we fixed hamburgers/turkey burgers. The burgers were already cooked and frozen, so I heated them in a bun warmer...this is a little pan with an inner pan. A small amount of water is put the bottom portion of the pan, then the inner pan, which has holes around the sides, is placed on top. This steamed the burgers and melted the cheese nicely. Mother chopped Vidalia onions, and cubed cold baked potatoes. I sauteed the onions, then added part of them to the potatoes. I forgot to bring no-salt seasoning, so I just added whatever I could find to the pan of potatoes...pepper, paprika, and dill weed. We spooned part of the sauteed onions onto the burgers and added sliced tomatoes. It was a really satisfying meal.

Around mid-afternoon, Hubbie and I had bowls of fat-free ice cream with blackberries. Then we all got ready to attend Nieces 6 p.m. wedding. It was an outdoor wedding at the home of a friend...a secluded area with a large yard of shade trees. It was an insufferably hot afternoon, and the ceremony was held in the sunshine, but it didn't last long, and we all soon headed for the shade.

Niece's wedding dress was beautiful, and she was spectacular in it. the wedding area was beautifully appointed, the food was good, particularly the desserts. Niece and Nephew parted from tradition by having iced mini vanilla cupcakes set on a three tiered silver tray, and clear bowls of chocolate trifle instead of a chocolate groom's cake. The trifle was yummy.

Around 8 p.m., we left, though we understood the party would continue into the night with a dance.

We arrived back at camp around 8:30 and lost no time getting ready for bed.

Note: we picked up a state newspaper to read articles about the flooding disaster in the southern part of the state. Besides the disturbing stories about that horrible event, I also noticed in the obituaries that two acquaintances from our town had died on Thursday. Both were only 71 years old, and both, I assume, probably died of heart attacks. One of the men and his wife bought a nature photograph of mine at an arts council silent auction, and the other man served on the community theater board with me a couple of years ago.